I love this particular TED talk by Andrew Stanton. In it he shares the words of British playwright William Archer, as they so neatly sum up what story is all about:

For a story to be successful, it needs to be more than what happens next in the short-term - it needs to grip the reader and keep them turning the pages because they are invested in finding out what happens in the long-term. And, most important of all - is the conflict real and escalating?

Andrew uses clips from a number of screenplays he's written including "Toy Story" and "Finding Nemo," to help illustrate his points. Grab a cup of coffee and settle in for a 20-minute TED Talk.

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Shuna Meade is the editor behind Final Polish Editorial. She also writes fiction and non-fiction. She loves to help new and beginning writers, passing on the nuggets of advice that have worked for her over the years (let's face it, there's way too much poor advice on the internet). She is a developmental editor (big picture), copyeditor (balancing creative style with technical accuracy), and proofreader (the detail work). You can contact her on: finalpolisheditorial@gmail.com.